In a hearing held at the STF on Monday (11), the National Secretary of Sports Betting, Giovanni Rocco Neto, addressed the challenges posed by the lack of regulation of online betting in Brazil. He emphasized the urgency of legislation that regulates the sector and ensures the integrity of the games.
The meeting, mediated by Minister Luiz Fux, was convened after the National Confederation of Commerce of Goods, Services and Tourism (CNC) requested the unconstitutionality of Law 14.790/2023, known as the Bets Law, which is in the process of being regulated by the federal government.
During the session, Giovanni Rocco, National Secretary of Sports Betting of the Ministry of Sport, warned about the negative impacts of unregulated betting and the need to differentiate sports betting from online games, known as Tigrinho. He also highlighted the role of the Ministry of Sport:
“Our main mission is to protect the integrity of sport, in order to detect, combat, and prevent manipulations of events and results related to sports betting”, he explained.
The secretary also updated on the regulatory process: “This confrontation requires speed in the analysis of information and evidence, in a joint effort among the Ministries of Finance, Sport, and Justice, which is already underway”.
Giovanni Rocco also highlighted that the growth of sports betting in Brazil has brought significant concerns about addiction and its social repercussions. The immediate association between betting and football, the national passion of Brazilians.
“We express our concern about the risks to the image of sport and emphasize that it is essential to preserve the integrity of this activity. This mission, assigned by Minister André Fufuca, includes special attention to the protection of children and adolescents”.
Since 2018, fixed-odds betting on sports events has been legalized by Law 13.756/2018, which established the need for regulation of the activity within a two-year period, extendable for an equal period. This deadline was neglected by the previous administration, and only the current federal administration began the process of regulating betting in the country.
In 2023, the 2018 law was amended and, after approval by the Legislative Power, fixed-odds betting was legalized in Brazil, known as online games. Law 14.790/2023 was then enacted, which assigned the Ministry of Finance the competence to regulate the fixed-odds betting sector and the Ministry of Sport the responsibility for the integrity of the sector.
“The market grew without the supervision and regulation of the Brazilian government. Only from the government of President Lula did a real process of regulation begin, with more than 20 regulatory orders published, in an effort to regulate a complex market that has been operating for more than five years in the country”, Rocco recalled.
Source: GMB
